The iPhone remains the world’s most iconic smartphone, and thus millions of Apple fans worldwide are eagerly awaiting news about the iPhone 7. We probably won’t know exactly what Apple has in mind for the latest iteration of this flagship smartphone until September, but in the meantime a variety of leaks and reports from analysts and sources close to Apple have given us some impression of what to expect.
Launch
The first thing to note about the iPhone is 7 is that it is expected for release on September 25. This has been established by an internal staff e-mail which was sent to employees of the British carrier Vodafone. This communication reportedly outlined launch plans for the iPhone 7, suggesting that the handset would be released on September 25, with pre-orders starting one week before this.
Models
Reports have consistently suggested for some time that Apple will retain the two devices that it introduced in September. This would mean that there will be 4.7-inch and a 5.5-inch models of the iPhone 7 when it is released, with the larger phablet-sized variant probably dubbed the iPhone 7 Plus.
Build
Although the majority of information seeping out regarding the iPhone 7 suggests that Apple will concentrate on improving the specifications of the device rather than altering its construction, there could nonetheless be some alterations to the way that the iPhone 7 is constructed. The first suggestion is that Apple might utilize the same Series 7000 aluminum found on the Apple Watch Sport’s casing. This material is reportedly 60 percent more durable than the existing aluminum used in the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.
Additionally, with sapphire glass having been included in the makeup of the Apple watch, and the iPhone series having been perpetually linked with sapphire glass in the past, it is possible that we will finally see this included in the iPhone 7.
KGI Securities’ perennial Apple follower Ming-Chi Kuo has also suggested that the next iPhone will be 0.15 millimeters taller and 0.2 millimeters thicker than the iPhone 6. This could possibly be due to the aluminum which has been suggested, or alternatively because Apple intends to include a larger battery cell in the device to provide increased lifespan for the smartphone.
4-inch variant
Reports have continually suggested that Apple will release a 4-inch variant of the iPhone at some point in the future, and that this will debut with the iPhone 7. This is said to be in line with the wishes of the late founder and CEO of Apple, Steve Jobs. Whether this smaller iPhone will see the light of day with the release of the iPhone 7 remains to be seen, but it does seem likely that this handset will be released sooner or later.
Home button
Another interesting suggestion related to the iPhone 7 is that Apple will completely eliminate the Home button. The thinking here is that this functionality will instead be delivered by the Touch ID fingerprint sensor, which will be integrated directly into the screen of the iPhone 7. This would be a radical departure from previous devices, and it may be too soon for this to be implemented during 2015.
Resolution
Fans of smartphones are still awaiting the first mass market 4K resolution device, and there have been suggestions in some quarters that Apple could possibly consider this for the iPhone 7. However, this would be such a massive increase over the previous generation of the iPhone series that it seems unlikely. What would be more feasible is for Apple to increase the smartphone-sized iPhone 7 to full HD resolution, and to also produce a quad HD phablet variant.
Camera
Another aspect of the iPhone 7 which has been persistently rumored over the last few months is that Apple will significantly improve the camera in the device. Blogger John Gruber reported that the next iPhone would feature the biggest camera jump in the history of the series.
With Apple having recently acquired the Israel-based camera company LinX for an estimated $20 million, there is increased speculation that the technology that this entails could could be included in the iPhone is 7. This would enable the smartphone to take superior photographs in low-light shooting conditions; a frequent bugbear of mobile devices.
Elsewhere, it has been suggested that Apple might even include a professional standard DSLR camera in the iPhone 7, or even a unique periscope design. A more realistic expectation is that the megapixel rating in the iPhone 7 may increase to 12-megapixels, with the rear-facing camera significantly improved to 5-megapixels.
The aforementioned Kuo has suggested that the next iPhone will support 1080p video capture, 24-frames-per-second slow-motion shooting, a panoramic mode, and a flash.
Force Touch
With the Apple Watch having been a significant success for Apple, and released earlier this year, analysts are now suggesting that many features of the smartwatch will be implemented in the iPhone 7. Another of these is Force Touch, which will make its debut in the iPhone 7 according to a wide range of reports. This will follow its inclusion in the MacBook laptop earlier this year.
Specs
It is expected that Apple will double the memory in the iPhone 7 to 2GB, and it has been reported that the battery will be increased by around 20 percent. Considering the new power saving functionality included in iOS 9, this would mean that the battery life of the smartphone would increase by close to 50 percent prepared to its predecessor.
Apple will also upgrade the processor in the iPhone series when is the iPhone 7 is released, although explicit insight on exactly what to expect from the iPhone 7 has not really come to light. But what is clear is that this will be an extremely important and likely impressive smartphone release.
